Over Half Of Purpose-Built Rental Sites In GTHA Have Infill Potential
May 23, 2025
“The potential infill sites could accommodate an estimated 182,023 units, which was 4.5 times as many units as currently proposed at existing rental sites when including both purpose-built rentals and condos.”
In ten years’ time, demand in Ontario’s rental market is expected to outstrip supply by almost double, according to a new study from the Federation of Rental-housing Providers of Ontario (FRPO). Prepared in collaboration with research and consultancy firm Urbanation, the study forecasts that rental demand will increase by a total of 418,000 units by 2034, while purpose-built and condominium rental supply will increase by just 211,000 units.
With the rental supply gap anticipated to grow to 207,000 units, nearly doubling the deficit accumulated since 2016, FRPO points to rental infill development as an area of potential growth. The organization notes that infill sites could be intensified “at zero land cost for existing owners.”
According to FRPO’s research, of 1,715 existing purpose-built rental sites across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA), 55% — or 942 sites — have the potential to accommodate infill development, meaning that they have “sufficient excess land available for intensification.” Of those 942 sites, 36% are transit-oriented.
“The potential infill sites could accommodate an estimated 182,023 units, which was 4.5 times as many units as currently proposed at existing rental sites when including both purpose-built rentals and condos,” the study says. “While the greatest potential for infill development was in the City of Toronto, with 136,159 units that could be accommodated, most of the supply potential totalling 111,738 units was in more affordable areas outside of Central Toronto, with an additional 45,865 units located in the 905 region.”